Dungeonland

There was a time when I spent most of my day posting about bundles, to the extent that I didn’t actually play any new games at all. I’d just list the contents of whatever bundle landed in my inbox, embed a video and check that the ‘pay what you want’ offer actually let people submit less than a dollar. Then I’d hit the publish button and move onto the next big thing. Which would be another bundle. I thought all of that was in my past but the Super BR Jam has caught my eye, with a decent set of commercial titles for anyone paying more than $5 and the results of the jam (now finished) available whatever the price paid. Dungeonland, Magicka, The Showdown Effect and Knights of Pen and Paper all have Paradox in common, and plenty of people probably own them already, but the standout is Qasir al-Wasat, which I wish I’d pointed more eyes toward when I played the demo.

Paradox’s Dungeonland might have some quirks, bugs, and a giant happiness-slurping maw where a functional single-player mode should be, but it’s a fine time on the whole. The arcade-y, asymmetrical ARPG even manages to be quite a stern test of swords and smarts – at least, for as long as it lasts. On the upside, developer Critical Studio’s been packing its overwhelmingly purple loot pinata with additional stuff since day one, which brings us to the present. A present. Both. Dungeonland’s latest update adds a never-ending dungeon, a casual mode for those who’d rather not be thrown to the razor-clawed wolf monsters, an achievement-like Star system, and a smattering of other bits and bobs. There’s a trailer, but I’ve hidden it behind a toothy gauntlet of merciless traps. Can you reach it? Do you have the guts?>

With Dungeonland having recently appeared in the gold-filled crypts of the internet, to a mixed critical reception, we thought we should catch up with developers Critical Studio, and see how they’d been getting on. This is their first game, so what had they learned? My questions were answered jointly by Mark Venturelli and Gabriel Texeira.

Are you real? For clarity’s sake, I’m talking complete authenticity, here. Flesh, blood, bones, an un-cleavable tether to this plane of existence – all the necessary basics. If someone’s gone back in time and successfully executed you, present you is still eligible so long as you’re not disappearing hands-first. OK, do we have everything all squared away? Good, good. Then welcome to Dungeonland. Whereas before it was only open to a select few, its whimsical bounties are now yours for the taking so long as you exist. Have a (fairly amusing) peek at what you’re in for after the break.